सत श्री अकाल

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Punjabi ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ (sat srī akāl).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /sət̪ ʃɾiː ə.kɑːl/, [sɐt̪‿ʃɾiː‿ɐ.käːl]

Interjection

सत श्री अकाल • (sat śrī akāl) (Urdu spelling ست سری اَکال)

1. (Sikhism) hello
2. (Sikhism) goodbye, farewell

Usage notes

In India, नमस्ते (namaste) and नमस्कार (namaskār) are non-religious greetings, while elsewhere they might be considered Hindu or Indic greetings. Religious greetings include:

• (Hindu) जय श्री राम (jay śrī rām), जय सिया राम (jay siyā rām), जय श्री कृष्ण (jay śrī kŕṣṇa), राम राम (rām rām), राधे राधे (rādhe rādhe), जय जगन्नाथ (jay jagannāth), etc.
• (Jain) जय जिनेंद्र (jay jinendra)
• (Sikh) सत श्री अकाल (sat śrī akāl)
• (Muslim) सलाम अलैकुम (salām alaikum)

which may be used by or when speaking to a person of the mentioned religion, as it is often considered gracious to greet someone in their religion’s greeting.

In modern Hindi urban usage, English hi and hello are also common.